Kenton Kotsiris
Jane Kotsiris
September 1, 2020
Rockridge Press
The famed Mediterranean diet—simplified into one pot simmering with flavor
Consistently ranked as one of the best and most doctor-recommended diets in the world, the Mediterranean diet is known for its amazing benefits like weight loss and reducing the risk of Parkinson’s disease. One-Pot Mediterranean Diet delivers tons of recipes exploding with fresh flavors with the ease and convenience of the one-pot method.
Explore a diversity of foods from a Mediterranean Breakfast Board to Spicy Grilled Veggie Pita using seasonally fresh ingredients and spices. Avoid obstacles including cleanup and hard-to-find ingredients and stay on track as you discover this all-inclusive way of cooking designed to fit into our everyday lives.
Inside this one-Pot Mediterranean cookbook you’ll discover:
- More than a cookbook—Learn about the Mediterranean diet, lifestyle, and nutrition before diving into the recipes.
- Family dinners—While containing things like soups, salads, and sides, the book features predominantly main dishes.
- Substitute teacher—Clearly written, easy-to-follow recipes allow readers to easily substitute ingredients as needed.
One pot keeps the smart, healthy spirit of the Mediterranean diet alive while cutting the time you’ll spend in the kitchen.
When I chose One-Pot Mediterranean Diet to review, I have to admit, it was because of the title. By now, since I have reviewed a number of Mediterranean-focused cookbooks, you know I love the cuisine and its health benefits. Unfortunately, this title is seriously misleading.
If you cook and see recipes claiming to be “one-pot,” that typically means that it’s a meal in one pot (or sheet pan, crock pot, or what have you). For One-Pot Mediterranean Diet, this is not always the case, unless you’re into feeding your family or guests just a plate of roast chicken for dinner without any sides (or chicken in cream sauce or chicken on skewers (you get where I’m going with this)). So cross off “one-pot.”
In the introduction, the authors state that in their household they call the cuisine “Mediterranean lifestyle” instead of “diet.” Keep that in mind as most of the recipes come in at 500 plus calories per serving. Some meat dishes come in at as much as 700 to 800 calories and that’s without vegetable sides–so delete “diet” as well. The title would be better off being: Mediterranean Inspired Dishes.
When you start adding cream sauces, meats, processed pancetta, etc you lose the real philosophy behind the healthy Mediterranean Diet. These recipes give the impression that ingredients that are eaten in limited quantities in real Mediterranean households (not restaurants) are more prevalent than they are.
That said, most of the recipes taken on their own sound quite tasty. Highlights for me would be Roasted Vegetables with Lemon Tahini, Moroccan Date Pilaf (I’d use vegetable broth rather than chicken), and Lentil and Red Pepper Soup. Because I love pistachios, the pistachio cookies would be a must.
One-Pot Mediterranean Diet includes some delicious-sounding but unhealthy recipes so if you’re looking for a Mediterranean-focused cookbook for health reasons, you might want to give this one a pass. However, if you just want some Mediterranean-inspired recipes for an occasional splurge, here you go.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
rating:
3 out of 5 butterflies